Connoisseur of all things pop culture

Pop Culture Odds and Ends – Thanksgiving Eve Edition

Today is the night before Thanksgiving, which in the old days used to mean going out to catch up with all your friends that were home from college but now means hopefully getting to leave work a little early to go catch a movie. I like Thanksgiving because it is a holiday that anyone of any religion or nationality can celebrate. All it requires is taking a moment to pause and reflect on all that you have to be thankful for. I know that I have a ton to be thankful for this year – health insurance, supportive friends and family, the fact that I got to see Hamilton with the original Broadway cast – and the fact that we get to chow down on some turkey tomorrow is an added bonus. I do love me some turkey.

Of course, the holiday also means spending time with family, which is not the most relaxing thing for a lot of people. Sharing DNA does not automatically translate into sharing a lot of interests and this year there are a lot of conversational landmines to be avoided; politics and Thanksgiving are not a good mix. But pop culture is a universal language so I’ve created an extra long round up this week to give you plenty of conversation starters when you are sitting around the dinner table. If your drunk uncle brings up Syrian refugees, you can counter with “did anyone see the new Captain America trailer?” It might not totally diffuse the situation, but it will at least provide a momentary distraction. So while you get ready for your Thanksgiving preparations, take a moment to get yourself caught up on all the pop culture that you might have missed.